Vive las Verduras

Join David Kinch and 30 chefs, winemakers, and architects as they assemble for three days in Pamplona, Navarra, Spain for the first International Congress of Vegetables or I Congresso "Vive las Verduras" (Enjoy Vegetables). The International Congress will be a point of communication between the gastronomy, science and the technology of the vegetable. Prominent architects Kengo Kuma, Eduardo Souto de Moura and Peter Eisenman will join chefs to address the theme of the day: "Minimalism" on Monday, May 21; "Integration with the Surroundings" on Tuesday, May 22; and "Deconstructionism" on Wednesday, May 23. David Kinch will give a cooking demonstration and discuss the integration of Manresa's biodynamic garden and the restaurant kitchen on Tuesday, May 22.

The Congress will have 30 speakers from 10 countries: Spain, France, Italy, Belgium, Portugal, Brasil, Japan, Switzerland, Germany, and United States. The speakers include (from clockwise above) Ferran Adrià, El Bulli; David Kinch, Manresa; Alain Passard, L'Arpège; Quique Dacosta, El Poblet; Massimiliano Alajmo, Le Calandre; Martín Berasategui, Lasarte.

Congreso Internacional Vive las Verduras
May 21-23, 2007
Baluarte Palacio de Congresos
Pamplona, Navarra, Spain

For more information: Telephone in Spain: 0034 943 41 08 57 or email info@vivelasverduras.com. Visit these websites in Spanish: Vive las Verduras, Lo Mejor de la Gastronomia.

Manresa Five-Year Anniversary

Since opening on Bastille Day in 2002, Manresa has received national and international acclaim including two Michelin stars, "World's Best 50 Restaurants" by Restaurant magazine in London, four stars from The San Francisco Chronicle, and "America's Top 50 Restaurants" from Gourmet magazine. To celebrate Manresa's five-year anniversary, David Kinch will present a special six-course dinner for three evenings July 13-15. Open seating begins at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, July 13 and Saturday, July 14; and at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 15. Dinner is $145 per person, exclusive of tax and gratuity. Wine pairing is $80 per person; premium wine pairing is $150 per person. Reservations are available now by calling Manresa at 408-354-4330.
Photo by LiPo Ching, San Jose Mercury News

Tibetan Aid Project: Taste & Tribute

David Kinch will participate in Taste & Tribute, a culinary gala featuring all-star chefs, haute cuisine, and a captivating live auction to benefit Tibetan Aid Project. Proceeds raised will go directly to support the preservation of Tibet's cultural and spiritual heritage for the benefit of the Tibetan people and all humanity.

This sumptuous event allows diners a rare opportunity to see world-renowned chefs create exquisite four-course meals tableside. Guests are free to visit each chef at work and talk to them about their culinary expertise. Chef Laurent Manrique of Aqua was the inspiration behind the benefit and has been the coordinating chef since its inception in 2001.

Join David Kinch in this exciting tribute to Tibetan culture. Tickets are $275 each and directly benefit the work of Tibetan Aid Project. For reservations, please contact the Tibetan Aid Project at 800-338-4238 or tap@tibetanaidproject. Please note that Manresa does not take reservations for Taste & Tribute.

Taste & Tribute
A benefit dinner for the Tibetan Aid Project
Friday, November 16, 2007
5:30-10:00 p.m.
Four Seasons Hotel
San Francisco, California

Manresa Garden Snapshot

A variety of heirloom root vegetables from Cynthia Sandberg's Love Apple Farm captured by photographer and cookbook author Sophie Brissaud during the Alain Passard Dinners in March. Love Apple Farm grows biodynamic vegetables exclusively for Manresa year-round. To see more photos visit Ptipois' Blog.

Riesling Winemakers Dinner

Join winemakers Gerhard Grans and Andreas Schmitges for an evening of German Riesling at Manresa. David Kinch will cook a Riesling-inspired six-course dinner, which starts with a welcoming reception of sparkling Solter Sekt and passed hors d’œuvres. Meet Gerhard Grans of Grans-Fassian with his daughter Victoria, and Andreas Schmitges of Andres Schmitges direct from Germany as they present their exceptional Riesling wines. Your hosts will be Dade Thieriot, Elizabeth Grubel and Michael Terry of Dee Vine Wines, purveyors of fine and rare wines in San Francisco. Seating will be kept to an intimate group, so please reserve early by calling Manresa at 408-354-4330.

Please join us on Wednesday, May 16 for the Riesling Winemakers Dinner. Welcome reception at 7:00 p.m., dinner at 7:30 p.m. $180 per person, all-inclusive. Please note that because seating is limited, reservations for the Riesling Winemakers Dinner must be made by phone at 408-260-7315. Online reservations are not accepted for this dinner.

The Manresa Biodynamic Garden

In early November last year, David Kinch and Cynthia Sandberg mixed their first biodynamic preparation of cow manure packed in cow horns, commonly called preparation #500 by biodynamic farmers, and buried them in the ground for six months, as prescribed by biodynamic farming principles established by Rudolf Steiner in 1924. Soon they will unearth the horns and mix the contents with water to make a liquid, which will be applied to the soil to stimulate root growth and humus formation, among many of the benefits of the #500 preparation.

Now that spring is here, David and Cynthia will undertake a process similar to making preparation #500. Once again they will bury cow horns, but they will pack the horns with ground quartz (silica) mixed with pond water or rainwater. After being buried in the ground for six months, the cow horns are retrieved and a liquid preparation is made to spray on the plant foliage in order to stimulate and regulate growth. This preparation is called #501, and it also influences the color, aroma, and flavor of the crop.

David Kinch and Cynthia Sandberg make preparation #500 with manure and cow horns.

David and Cynthia combined forces more than a year ago in order to satisfy David's quest for the best tasting vegetables to serve at Manresa, and as a way for Cynthia to expand her thriving organic farm at Love Apple Farm in Ben Lomond. Cynthia now grows all of her vegetables, herbs and fruit exclusively for Manresa and is working toward supplying 100% of Manresa's produce. To learn more about biodynamic farming, Cynthia recommends visiting the website for the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service.

Now that the soil is warming up, summer vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, squashes, melons, basils, and beans are being transplanted to the outdoor garden from the hoophouse, a 64-foot Quonset-style growing house where plants are started early in the season. Cynthia will soon be sowing corn, carrots, turnips, radishes, beets, lettuces and a myriad of exotic vegetable seeds imported from Europe. And new to the farm is a small vineyard for growing table grapes, which Cynthia researched extensively to select the best tasting varietals.

Summer vegetables are transplanted from the hoophouse to the outdoor garden.

Love Apple Farm is known for offering for sale a hundred different varieties of heirloom tomato plants each spring. People from all over California come to these weekend sales. This is a delightful way for interested persons to view Manresa's kitchen garden, normally closed to the public. Tomato plant sales usually last until mid-May.
Photos courtesy of Chez Pim

The Pig Dinner

Manresa Chef de Cuisine Jeremy Fox will share his passion for making classic French charcuterie, or Italian affettati, on Tuesday, June 19 and Wednesday, June 20. In his skilled hands, the art of traditional dry-cured salumi, sausages, terrines, and pâtés takes a contemporary turn. For one special evening, aficionados of nose to tail eating can savor an eight-course dinner of saucisson sec, trotters, tongue, pancetta, boudin noir, chorizo, porchetta, mortadella, all made from the whole hog. Also try delectable cassoulet, agnolotti (stuffed pasta) with sweet and savory desserts by Pastry Chef Deanie Fox. (Menu items subject to change.)

Please join us for The Pig Dinner on Tuesday, June 19 and Wednesday, June 20. Open seating begins at 5:30 p.m. $125 per person excluding tax and gratuity. Wine pairing is $85 per person. Reservations are available now by calling Manresa at 408-354-4330.
Read more: Kim Goodfriend and Suzanne Cristallo wrote about The Pig Dinner in 2006.

Manresa in the Media

Alain Passard with David Kinch, examines a box of morels. Photo by Randi Lynn Beach

Manresa in the Media has been updated to include:
Alain Passard, the first to make green sexy, cooks in California. Greens are the star when Paris' Alain Passard and David Kinch collaborate on eight courses. By Betty Hallock, The Los Angeles Times